Marcus Posted February 7, 2022 Share Posted February 7, 2022 Good morning all - it's been a while since a posted here on the forum. I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the Irish Concertina Company traditional reeded instruments? They are very attractive and quite reasonably priced for a "real" concertina reeded instrument. The lead time is quite a bit shorter than other makers but other than the YouTube videos I don't see much about them here on the forum. Maybe I missed the postings and quite often the search function return a lot of unrelated posts. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reen49 Posted February 9, 2022 Share Posted February 9, 2022 Hi Marcus, I'm a very inexperienced player (have only been playing for about 7 months) but I have worked hard in that time and progressed well (but still only have 7 months of experience to draw on). I currently have their "Vintage" concertina on loan from this shop. I didn't expect to like it that much as I have a love for antiques and the wonder of old instruments and have lots of antiques in my house. I'm that kind of girl! I currently have an old 1910 Lachenal with bone buttons and was leaning towards upgrading this with a nice Wheatstone I've heard about, but I'm really glad to have had the opportunity to borrow this instrument as after a day of playing it, it's really grown on me and I've seen past my love of old things and realised that new things can have a lot to offer too.. Please excuse the inexperienced comments and terminology but here are my thoughts: It has a nice mellow tone It has a lovely touch and it is easy to play both quietly or loudly The buttons are nicely weighted I love the 7 bellows and have plenty of air to spare now (as a relative beginner this appeals to me) It's very easy to play in comparison with my Lachenal I would be very happy to deal with Sean Garvey in this shop and am considering buying the higher quality Eiru model but he didn't have one available for me to borrow the other day. I was really impressed that he loaned me the instrument, which shows that he's confident about his products. Like you, I've been trawling the internet and have found very little information on them. I did try the Eiru in the shop and will try it again now that I've adapted a bit to playing a modern instrument. Moving from the old instrument to the new was a bit like changing car when you're just learning to drive. It took me by surprise a bit at first and I found the metal buttons harder to play as they were a bit smaller than my bone buttons but am used to it now. I don't see anything I don't like about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcus Posted February 9, 2022 Author Share Posted February 9, 2022 Thanks very much for the review. Great to hear from somebody who has direct experience playing the instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruairi Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 Hi Marcus and others, Not sure if you're still following this thread but I can say that having bought a newly-made Eiru model from the Irish Concertina Company (and after some teething problems that I asked about recently - caused by shipping and weather assaults on the instrument) I'm really starting to warm to this instrument. I'm not an expert or even amateur concertina player but I'm also not a complete novice to quality instruments so I can certainly recommend the make. I am happier with it every time I play it, so I would heartily recommend their products, and they (ie Sean) seems like a very decent fellow - he also leant me an Eiru model to try out while I was back in Dublin which was extremely decent and helpful. Anyway, you've probably figured something out by now, and I hope it worked out great. Ruairi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Ghent Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 Sadly it seems Sean died yesterday or the day before... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Takayuki YAGI Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 1 hour ago, Chris Ghent said: Sadly it seems Sean died yesterday or the day before... Is Sean Garvey of the Irish concertina Company the same person as the singer Sean Garvey (recently passed away)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 1 hour ago, Takayuki YAGI said: Is Sean Garvey of the Irish concertina Company the same person as the singer Sean Garvey (recently passed away)? None of the current obituaries that I have found for “Sean Garvey” mention concertinas or building instruments. They’re all about the singer. Sounds to me like two Sean Garveys, and I wouldn’t be surprised if only one of them died this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Laban Posted May 10, 2022 Share Posted May 10, 2022 The late Seán Garvey sang and played the flute. The concertina maker is a different person altogether: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Takayuki YAGI Posted May 11, 2022 Share Posted May 11, 2022 Thank you Peter for clarifying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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